Unit 8, Lesson 3
Ways to Look at Quadrilaterals
Grade 4
Preparation
Lesson Narrative
In the previous lesson, students sorted and analyzed triangles by their sides and angles and began to form general statements about the properties of triangles. (Triangles always have three sides and angles, may have a right angle or equal sides, may be foldable into equal halves, never contain more than one obtuse angle, and so on.)
In this lesson, students identify and sort quadrilaterals based on their angles and sides, including whether their sides are parallel. Students are introduced to the term parallelogram to describe quadrilaterals with two pairs of parallel sides, but they are not expected to use this term throughout the unit. In IM Grade 5, students will continue the work of classifying polygons using these categories.
- Engagement
- MLR8
- Describe (orally and in writing) the attributes of squares, rectangles, parallelograms, and rhombuses.
- Match (orally and in writing) quadrilaterals based on the length of their sides, size of their angles, and presence of parallel or perpendicular sides.
- Let’s sort and identify quadrilaterals.
Required Materials
Required Preparation
- Each group needs a set of shape cards from the previous lesson. If time permits, separate the quadrilateral cards from each set in advance.
- Each group needs a set of shape cards from the previous activity.
Teacher Reflection Questions
Who participated in math class today? How can you leverage each of your students’ ideas to support them in being seen and heard in tomorrow’s math class?